


Mine to Take

by CalileoKiernan



Series: Mine to Take [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Athlete and Model Oikawa, Celebrity Crush, Coffee Shops, College Student Iwaizumi, Dates that totally aren't dates, Fluff, Iwaizumi is a stressed boy, M/M, Major Flirting, Oikawa is a busy boy, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Romance, Semi-In Line with Cannon, Slow Build, Tako Chips, iwaoi - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:40:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25188838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CalileoKiernan/pseuds/CalileoKiernan
Summary: "That was my bag of Tako Chips. Hand it over."The other person looked confused and tilted their head to the side a little. Ignorant bastard."I said," my voice becoming a little louder," that was my bag of chips. Give it back. Now.""I'm sorry." They then proceeded to take off their earbuds, loosen the sweater a bit, and then take their white hat off.Fuck.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Hanamaki Takahiro/Matsukawa Issei, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi
Series: Mine to Take [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1824712
Comments: 1
Kudos: 50





	1. Tako Chips

**Iwaizumi's POV**

_ Suga: Don't forget to buy more Yakult! Makki keeps downing them like it's the last thing he'll ever drink! Be careful on your way back too. I don't want you to get hurt, okay? _

For the past 5 and a half hours, I have been studying my butt off to pass this upcoming test for my Cardiopulmonary PT 1 class while studying for 3 other really hard classes. If you want to get your Doctors in Physical Therapy, go for it; but you should know that it is much harder than it really seems

The stars above me shined as I trudged my way to my favorite grocery store, Sakanoshita Store. A small sigh escaped my lips as the weight of my backpack attempted to drag me down with the lack of sleep I was getting. Luckily for me, the thought of my favorite chips were awaiting me in that store. Is it farther away from the library? Yeah. But those chips are a great reward after a long study session.

I pushed past the glass doors and began my task on finding everything that Suga wanted me to get. Melon pan, carrots, radishes, eggs, almonds, kale, granola, dried seaweed, Yakult... it's obvious that all of the healthy stuff was demanded by him in our apartment. 

Thinking about the cost of this, I was worried that I wouldn't have enough money to buy my chips. Staying under a budget gets harder with such hungry roommates. Once I was sure that I had gotten all of the things that Suga wanted me to, I checked the estimated price.

Yes! I'll have enough for my chips with only ¥500 left. I went around the store looking for my chips. Sure they are a common flavor of chips around here, but it was still hard to find them since other university students wanted some of it too.

There they were! At the top shelf that was... I wasn't short, but I wasn't the tallest person. Carefully balancing everything I was carrying, I reached to the top shelf to grab the last bag of Tako Chips. My fingers grazed the bag as it was so close to my grasp.

Out of nowhere, another arm reached up and grabbed the bag of chips out of my fingers before I could fully grab it. Hatred boiled up in my chest as I watched them walk to the cashier to pay for the minimal amount of stuff they had. They tossed the bag of chips so carelessly on the counter. I could feel my heart shatter.

"Excuse me?" I said. They didn't bat an eye my way.

Who do they think they are? Walking in here and taking my chips! I earned those chips! They belong to me. The beautiful savoriness with the nice crunch of a fresh bag of chips. A true reward for someone who has worked hard. From the looks of it, it looks like they haven't worked a day in their life. I'm gonna walk up to them and give them a piece of my mind.

With each step, I grew more determined to take those chips back. I reached my arm out to the taller person and gripped their shoulder tightly. Under my touch, I could feel them tense up and their pulse quicken. Slowly, tauntingly, they turned around to face me, their hat and sweater covering their face.

"That was my bag of Tako Chips. Hand it over."

The other person looked confused and tilted their head to the side a little. Ignorant bastard.

"I said," my voice becoming a little louder," that was my bag of chips. Give it back. Now."

"I'm sorry." They then proceeded to take off their earbuds, loosen the sweater a bit, and then take their white hat off.

Fuck.

A small, shy-like smile was on his face. "Do you need something? Did you want an autograph? A picture with me? My manager doesn't really like me doing this but they aren't here right now, so...?" My hand fell back to my side in complete disbelief.

His eyes were a deep chocolate brown; so sweet and loving. His hair was a little messy from the hat but still picture perfect and as soft as ever. The way he just emitted confidence in any situation. Not to mention that even though he wasn't on camera, his outfit choice looked well put together and really comfy.

Heat quickly rushed to my face but I did my best to suppress it. Doing everything I could, I put a scowl on as I looked up at his adorable and perfect face.

"Who the fuck do you think you are? I don't want a photo with you." Yes I do. I really do. Please let me take a million with you.

He took a small step back and he looked confused. "Umm... who am I?" The words felt foreign on his tongue. "Professional volleyball player? The Grand King? I’m in that poster right there?" Out of the corner, I glanced at the poster that he was referring to that advertised a new flavor of Pocky. From the tone of his voice, he expected me to know this. And I did, but I wasn't going to show it to him.

"No. I don't know who you are and I don’t give a fuck about what you do. All I know is that you stole what was mine." Aggravation filled my voice. Deep within, my heart swooned for him while my head wanted to start a fight with him. They began to battle as the conversation drawled on.

My eyes met his as I glared at him when a small beep made us both stop. In unison, we looked at the cashier who was sweating a bit under the pressure.

The chips were gone. My beautiful Tako Chips. My reward of the day. A job well done and what do I get? Nothing. Mr. Celebrity in front me was about to say something but was cut off when his phone had begun to ring. Of course it would.

With an apologetic look, he answered his phone, talking in hushed tones with whoever was on the other line. The cashier and I exchanged looks as the man standing in the middle was having a frantic conversation.

As quick as he came, he paid for his items, left a large tip, and hurried out the store. Barely a second later, he popped his head back in and looked at me. "I'll get you more chips. Promise." Silence enveloped the small store as I watched his run off to who knows where.

At that moment, everything crashed upon me.

Holy shit. I just met him. One of the most famous people my age and I pretended to not fucking know them. Oikawa Tooru. He is on the national volleyball team. The best setter in all of Japan. Since he had entered the tournament to go to the nationals when he was a First Year in high school, I had a major crush on him. Every year since then, I've watched almost every game he has been in. Not only that, but he is a model, working for some of the biggest fashion brands in Japan and probably the world. God, him in a suit… or a swimsuit… No. Stop.

Apparently, I had to go and yell at him over chips! Something so small. They probably think I'm an arrogant baby. I know I messed up. Life is playing me like a game of chutes and ladders. One moment I'm up, and the next I'm down.

"Are you gonna pay for that stuff, kid?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that you guys liked the first chapter! This is my first IwaOi fanfic and my first fanfic in a long time so I hope it wasn't too bad. It feels nice to write again.  
> Next Chapter: Only Tuesday  
> -LD


	2. Only Tuesday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iwaizumi is having a terrible week so far, Oikawa is probably going to get diabetes, and they just can't leave each other's side (no matter how much Iwaizumi wants to). And yet, the week has barely started.

**Iwaizumi's POV**

There are different things that set the tone for the week. If you drop your phone in the toilet, more than likely the rest of the week is gonna be pretty shitty. If it’s the week of a movie release and the movie is great, you’re looking for the rest of a great week.

To put this lightly, this week is already fucked up. Why?

  1. I have had three tests in one morning.
  2. I have not seen a single bag of Tako Chips at Sakanoshita Store since Oikawa.
  3. It has been five days since I’ve yelled at Oikawa for taking my chips and I haven’t seen him since
  4. I have been studying for three hours straight
  5. It’s only Tuesday



Number four is easy to deal with,a coffee break is good enough.

I’ve been studying up in the library like usual. Top floor in my corner where no one ever goes. It’s quiet and peaceful where no one can bother me. Since so little people utilize the top floor, I admit that I have been locked in once or twice from staying too late to study.

My legs felt like brittle from sitting for so long as I made my way through the campus and across the street to the nearby coffee shop, Daily Grind.

“Ow!” A voice breaks my train of thought as the door smacks someone and knocks them to the ground with a thud. Almost immediately, I begin to apologize to them.

“Oh my gosh I am so sorry about that. Here, let me help you up.” I extended my hand and pulled them back to their feet. They brush themselves off and fix their mask.

“It’s fine. Thank you for helping me.”

My eyes looked up and saw a pair of familiar eyes. Shit.

“Oh, it’s you! You’re that guy from that one store, right? What was it called again, Kashiri? Sakura? Ah, either way, I’m sorry for running out on you like that.” God that smile.

“It’s… fine. Don’t worry about it. Sorry for hitting you in the head with the door. Again.” His head tilted to the side and his eyes happily scrunched together. My heart skipped a beat and I looked away from him. How can someone be so fucking unugly?

“Don’t worry about that! Because of my height, I tend to bump into things easily. But, since you are offering, why don’t you buy me some coffee?” What is going on in his head? That little bastard.

“What do you mean offered you? I just apologized for hitting you with the door. I don’t need to pay you back for any of that. If anything, you should be watching where you are walking. God.” I turned on my heel and entered the warm shop, the smell of roasted coffee beans wafting in the air.

For a second, the ambiance cleared my head and I felt a little more at peace. That is until I heard his loud footsteps behind me and his louder voice calling out to me. Around me, I could feel eyes watching us, my body tensed up out of instinct.

“Wait-wait-wait! Wait for mee!” In a matter of seconds, he draped his arms around me, breaking any form of physical barrier between the two of us.

I glared at him and scowled. “Could you be any louder? People are looking so shut up.” Forcefully, I shrugged him off and he reluctantly let go, his warmth leaving me. Not that I really care that much.

It was quiet as he stood next to me, fiddling with the hem of his shirt as I waited in the very long line. The sound of the bustle of the coffee shop filled the silence between us. Every few seconds, I could see him glance my way but quickly avert his eyes. 

“So…” He started, trying to fill the awkward void. “Do you go to the college near here?”

I felt a little hesitant to respond but did so nonetheless. “Uh yeah, you?”

There was a bright gleam in his eye. “Yeah! Well, kinda. Since I’m on the move so much I have to take classes online. But this is my first year doing this. I’m surprised that I made it a whole semester with how much traveling I’m doing. It does get kinda tiring every now and then but I think that it’s fun.” He talks a lot. “My major is astronomy. What about yours?”

“Doctor of Physical Therapy, DPT for short. But I specifically want to go into Sports Science,” I grumbled as he stared with a newfound interest. His body leaned a little closer to me and I took a slight step back.

“Wow! That’s so cool! Why’d you choose that?”

“Why do you always ask so many questions?”

He scoffed. “Well at least I’m trying to make a conversation. But still, you didn’t answer my question. Why do you wanna do Sports Science?”

I thought about it for a bit and carefully formed my response. “Well, I’ve always wanted to help people. In highschool I was always involved with sports. Track and field, baseball, volleyball, swimming, almost everything. And every now and then, I’d hear about people getting hurt and being unable to come back in a few days to months or not at all. The fact that they can’t come back to do what they love is why I really want to do this. I want to help people get back up and continue to do what they love.”

The whole time I spoke, Oikawa was actually quiet, listening intently. “Are you sure you’ve never heard of me before we met?”

His question slowly processed in my head until the two pieces clicked. To be honest, one of the reasons was him. After he had to take a leave for a little because of his knee, I knew then and there that this was something that I wanted to do. And this dumb bastard actually put the pieces together. Perceptive but that’s fucking annoying.

“Of course not, why do you think it has anything to do with you? Are you really that self-centered?” I snapped back and glared at him. He just let out a soft sigh as the silence crawled back in, settling between the two of us.

We finally were at the front of the line and ready to order. “Welcome back! I’m guessing that you’re taking your usual?” I nodded. “And what about you? Are you two paying together or…”

“Uh n-”

“Yes,” I interjected. Oikawa looked a little surprised but happily smiled. “Go on, order.”

“Ah, I’ll take a regular pumpkin spice frappuccino. Can you add some white chocolate to that and a drizzle of caramel? Thanks and I’ll also get two honey cinnamon bars.” The barista just smiled and put in the order.

“I’ll call you over when it’s ready.” She said with a smile.

When we began to walk away, Oikawa gave me a big hug, making me stumble a bit. “Aw! You really are such a gentleman! You must come here often if they already know your order. That reminds me, you never told me your name?”

Have I never told him my name? Thinking back, I realized that I really didn’t tell him my name. Huh. “Iwaizumi. Hajime.” I forced out, biting at how odd my name sounded from my mouth.

“Hmm… I like it! Iwaizumi… Iwaizumi… Iwai? It doesn’t really roll off the tongue that easily. I’ll come up with a nickname for you, don’t worry about it,” He replied and went back to thinking.

Time froze as I sat there, admiring him and wow is he beautiful. The way that he bites his bottom lip as he’s deep in thought and how he furrowed his eyebrows. Soft words were mumbled as he oh so quietly whispered to himself. After what felt like eternity, he noticed that I was staring. I noticed that I was staring, lost in his beauty. Gentle he tilted his head to the side as if asking,  _ what? _

“What about you?” I asked.

“Me? What about me?”

“Why did you choose astronomy? If I told you why I chose my major, you can tell me why you chose astronomy as a major.” And just like that, his eyes shined in excitement and he happily tapped his feet on the ground.

“Ah well, I just really love the stars. I remember being really little and looking up at the night sky, remembering constellations and names of each star in them. Reading all about them in books from the library. The first time I was given a telescope to see the stars, I didn’t sleep in my bed for two weeks,” he said, his voice laced with a bittersweet tone.

“The universe is so big compared to us. We’re barely a significant fraction of it and yet, we exist. There might be a planet- a solar system just like ours or one of different things we can’t even comprehend. Throughout history, so many people have looked up to the stars for signs, knowledge, hope. They planned cities and outlined characteristics with them. I wanna discover each one that they mapped. Show how it all changes and- oh gosh, I’m rambling again, I’m sorry,” Oikawa said sheepishly, pulling away a bit.

I reached out and gently touched his knee. “Don’t feel bad for that. I asked so it seems right for you to give as long a response as you want. Don’t worry about it. And that was... beautiful.” Hesitantly, he nodded and gave me a small smile, one that was laced with a hint of comfort and pain.

We sat there and stared into each other’s eyes for a bit, my hand still on his knee.

“Iwaizumi!” Our heads snapped up at the sound of my name being called. Glancing back at him, I stood up and he followed my lead. We grabbed our drinks and thanked the barista. Apparently their espresso machine broke down this morning so making drinks took longer than usual.

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as Oikawa took a sip from his drink. A happy smile made its way on his face as he hummed in delight. “You wanna try?” He offered his drink to me, the pile of whipped cream moving with his cup. 

“No thanks. I don’t want diabetes.” 

“Suit yourself,” he said as he took another sip of his drink. “Though I don’t know why you drink that. It’s so bitter! Just like you!” Without thinking, I smacked the back of his head as we walked down the sidewalk.

“Shut up. Don’t you have somewhere to be anyway?” I asked as I pressed the button on the pole of the traffic light.

“Yup! That’s why I’m following you.” Curiously, I raised an eyebrow at his overly bright attitude. How can someone say that so casually? “You’re heading back to school right? I need to be there too! I have to talk with one of my professors about some stuff.” He could’ve just asked instead of latching onto me like a leech.

“Fine but I’m heading straight to the library.” The signal flashed and we walked across the street, other people going to and fro.

“You can’t do that!” Oikawa protested. A frown was on my face as we walked down the path.

“Oh, and why can’t I do that?” I asked, challenging him.

“It’s because I don’t know my way around the campus!” He responded flailing his arms around. I’m more surprised that he hasn’t spilled his drink yet. “Before you say anything, yes, I have been to the campus before, but I was always with my manager or his assistant so they guided me around. I don’t know where to go and what building is what!”

Walking him to class, huh? “Do you know the class number?” Happily, he nodded. “Then you’ll be fine. Just bug another student.”

“What?! I can’t just do that!”

“Yes you can, I need to study. Good day.” Turning on my heel I began to walk away from him. A few steps in and I realized that I was going the wrong way but I’m already committed to walking this way. Guess I’m taking the long way.

“No no no come back! I have to talk to my professor!” Oikawa complained, chasing after me and latching onto my arm.

“Then go.”

“But I don’t know where.”

“If I say yes will you leave me alone?” He nodded and I sighed. At that, he pulled out his phone and showed me the class number and building. Together, we made our way to the building and to the classroom.

Right before he entered, he made me promise that I wasn’t going to leave him alone because “I don’t know how to find the exit. I’ll be wandering the halls for hours. Are you really going to let me wander alone for so long? Something bad could happen to me!”

As I waited for him, I couldn’t help but smile a little to myself. Maybe this week isn’t going to be too bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally done writing and editing chapter 2. What do y'alls think of this so far?  
> I love how Iwa knows he likes Oiks but just hates it. What a cutie!  
> Next Chapter: Suit and Tie  
> -LD


	3. Suit and Tie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iwaizumi is a good and responsible student. He's hardworking, smart, and very efficient with his work. But his job would definitely throw others off.

**Iwaizumi’s POV**

"Wakey wakey sunshine!" The curtains in my room were drawn back and the blinds were pulled away. 

Oh no. Please not now. I'm still dreaming. I know it. It is not time to wake up. It’s the fucking weekend for god’s sake.

Slowly opening my eyes, I faced reality. This reality had short dark curly hair and eyes that matched the shade. Fuck. Reaching for a pillow on my side, I smacked Matsukawa in the face. He stumbled back a little and frowned.

"Leave me alone and let me sleep,” I groggily mumbled into my pillow. It's not that I hated Matsukawa, I'm fine with him and we’re good friends; I just didn't want to see him this early in the morning. After waiting a few seconds, I heard his footsteps retreat from my room. Good. Now I can head back to bed.

Right before I was about to drift back to thoughts of… things, a large mass smashed its’ weigh on top of me.

"Get uuuuuuuup!" He screamed while pulling at the blanket. After a while of fruitless efforts, he attempted to pick me up. Luckily for the difference in weight and body structure, I wasn't carried out of my room. Sadly, he was strong enough to drag me out instead. Matsukawa did his best to drag me out to the living room by my legs and just leave me there. Ugh.

"Come on everyone," Suga chided as he placed down breakfast, "eat up. You can keep yelling at each other later." He turned his attention to me and said, "I also washed your uniform Iwa. I put it by the side of your bed." Right... work. Forgot that I had to do that today.

"Thanks Suga." We all sat down around the small table and began to eat the food that Suga made us. All of us were so lucky that Suga lived with us. Makki and I had little to no idea on how to cook. After breakfast, I went to the bathroom to wash up. I wonder what type of skincare routine Oikawa has... does he even have one? His skin is so nice I'm not even sure. Uuuugh.

I splashed water at my face to hopefully help clear my head. Meeting him was a one time thing. Hopefully, if I kept repeating this in my head over and over, it will stick. Plus, what are the chances that we'll bump into each other again?

After I finished cleaning the table, I checked the time. It was only 9:45 AM. To waste time and get my mind off of... more things, I sat down in the living room and turned on the movie, _Godzilla_. Perfect.

Now the job I have wasn't the one I was planning to ever get. It’s not too bad to be working in a café. You know... those cafés with the fancy looking servers in fancy looking clothes. Okay fine. I work at a Host Club.

**~Flashback~**

**_First Year of University, First Quarter._ **

_Just another normal day as Suga and I were walking back to the apartment. Sure Suga and I had cars, but our apartment wasn't too far. Plus, we needed the exercise. Being full time students didn’t leave as much as a morning run as exercise. Luckily, I had made my schedule to fit at least a good 30 minute work out before any of my classes started_

_"So, have you found a job yet?" Suga asked me. Sadly, I shook my head. For the past few weeks, I have been busy looking around for a job and balancing working on getting good grades for my classes._

_He frowned as we continued to walk in silence. Still, you could hear the cogs working and ideas running through his head. "You know, I think they're hiring at my job. Do you want to try that out? If not, I know someone who says that their workplace needs a few more people."_

_"Don't you need to look... pretty? Y'know, to work at your place?" Suga laughed at that._

_"Not necessarily. You just have to at least be a little good looking." Was that a compliment or an insult?_

_"Isn't your job all about good looking people?"_

_Suga blushed a bit. "Not really. Come on Iwa. You need the money and you need that money soon, right?"_

_As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. I only had a little money left and was not about to pull money out of my savings for school. Suga had mentioned a while back that the hours are flexible. And that they do like younger people more. The uniform isn't too bad. Doesn't look too stuffy. But talking to people? A lot of people that I don't know? But how am I gonna pay for my share of the bills? The others have helped me out so much. Not to mention, I have worked at a café before during highschool and that wasn't too bad._

_"Fine."_

_Suga's eyes lit up like fireworks and he did a little jump. "Great! Come in with me tomorrow for work. I'll call ahead to make sure that they can interview you!"_

**_~The Next Day~_ **

_"Ah Suga! Right on time as usual." The woman exclaimed as she looked me up and down._

_Now I have never been to where Suga worked before. Looking around, I did my best to hide how awestruck I was. The place was beautiful. Chandeliers hung from the tall white ceiling and a beautiful faux red velvet covered the walls. Each table had a white cloth on it and a vase of flowers and the seats were made of faux leather. The floor was a beautiful marbled black quartz as a long carpet circled the large room. In the centre was a large grand piano surrounded by floor lights and large curtains._

_Finally, my gaze made its way to the lady in front of me. She was taller than me with long silver hair that went right above her waist. Her eyes were a stunning shade of a dark aqua. The smile that she had was sweet as she greeted the two of us. Undoubtedly beautiful but not my type._

_"I take it that you're Suga's friend, Iwaizumi Hajime, correct?"_

_I bowed down. "Yes, ma'am." Looking up at her, I could see her eyes sparkle a bit._

_"Ooh~ how sweet. My name is Haiba Alisa. Please, come with me. We’ll discuss your application in my office.”_

_Not long after the interview and small tests here and there, I had gotten the job. Once Suga heard that, he rushed out and hugged me._

_He brightly smiled at me. "See Iwa! I told you that you could get the job."_

_"Yeah... wow..."_

_Haiba-san (though she insisted that I call her Alisa) smiled and said, "You'll start your training next week. Because of your schedule, can you come in at 8:00 in the morning on Monday?"_

_I nodded. "Of course."_

_"Wonderful! I'll see you then.”_

**~Present Day~**

I looked at myself in the mirror and straightened my tie a bit. In no rush, I grabbed my jacket, keys, phone, wallet and headed to the door. Once my shoes were slipped on, I called out to whoever was still here, "I'm heading out for work."

A chorus of byes around the apartment replied back and I then proceeded to head out the door and down the two flights of stairs. To my advantage, we were only on the third floor, so getting down wasn't too much of a hassle.

The drive there wasn't eventful at all. Music played to hopefully drown out any unneeded thoughts that were flying about. Once I reached the destination. I walked in and clocked in and got to work getting everything ready for my work day.

"Look who finally showed up. We were missing you." Terushima appeared in the doorway of the employee's room. I just gave him a small grunt in reply as I continued to open my locker and placed my stuff inside.

"Oh come on! Is that how you greet your favorite workmate? 'Cuz I'm totally your favorite." It took every cell in my body to try and not to smack that smirk off his face. I didn't like Terushima at all. He's annoying, loud, spontaneous, and a complete ladies man. Wait... isn't that... Oikawa? No, he’s actually-

Yuji lightly knocked on my head," You good there bro?" Trying not to hurt him too much, I smacked his hand away and he retreated with a frown.

"I'm fine. Just can't wait to get out there so I don't have to deal with you much longer. Plus, don't you have a place to be? People to serve?" I asked and sat down on one of the chairs.

“Well,” he started, “they just left so no. Unless I’m called out, I get to spend time with you!” Terushima shot me a finger gun but I just turned my attention to my phone, completely ignoring him.

Not long after, Otaki, one of the receptionists, walked in. "Iwa? Someone is here for you and they seem quite eager to meet you.”

When she had first started working here, she was very quiet. Since we started working around the same time, we really got to know each other. It wasn’t long to break that quiet exterior of hers and she became one of the most loved people here, and she isn’t even working as a host.

"Thanks, Otaki. Now I have a reason to leave him." I straightened out my clothes and looked at myself once more in the mirror with Terushima protesting behind me. Here we go. With ease, I walked over to the table with my first customer of the day. From the back, I already knew that they were a new person. Why would they even request me?

"Hello and welcome to the Arabica Host Club. My name is Taiji Katashi and I'll be your host for your stay here. How can I help you?" I bowed down and then looked up at them.

Fuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you can't imagine Sugawara, Iwaizumi, and Terushima as hosts in a host club, shame on you. They would make great hosts. Also, if you're wondering why he introduced himself as "Taiji Katashi", is because most hosts rarely ever use their real names. It's for safety reasons.  
> I feel like it was a little bit of a filler but oh well. I didn't think that I would update twice but I had the next chapter lying around and thought why not.  
> Next Chapter: Façade  
> -LD


	4. Façade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If Iwaizumi has to flat out flirt with him, he might as well get paid for it, it?

**Iwaizumi's POV**

The heat was quickly rising up to my face. Sure people I knew come around here to say hi or just annoy me at my work, but this felt worse. If I had to find another way to ever see Oikawa again, work would not be the place that I wanted to see him. Especially if where you work is a host club. 

But of course, he just had to request me to be his host. Not anyone else. Just me. Come on, Hajime. It's just one person. Pretend it's Makki? No, he tries to get me to change into a maid's outfit. Mattsun? No. He'll just side with Makki. Fucking hell.

He pondered my words for a bit. "You know, I didn't think that you would be the type that would work here. But I'm glad that if I'm going to be anywhere like this, I might as well be here with you. How did you even land a job like this?"

I bit my tongue to make sure the words came out right. "A close friend of mine was able to get me this job. He works here too. We're rarely ever working together but uh, yeah."

A mischievous smirk appeared on his face. There was a sparkle in his eyes as he looked me up and down in my uniform. Oh, fuck no. 

Now Oikawa is also known for his very... flirty personality. He's often found flaunting about and talking with his numerous fans. The fans that are willing to go up and talk to him, that is. Not me. Not that I’m a big fan or anything. But he was always able to make them swoon over him. The problem here is that that's my job today, not his. 

"So then, host, how can you serve me?" A pair of two doe eyes looked up at me through their unrealistically long eyelashes. 

Might as well play my part too. I swallowed my pride and stood a little taller. If I'm going to have to flirt with Oikawa, at least I'm getting paid for it. "Well, it depends. How do you want me to serve you?"

A large smile broke out on his face. "Since I am going to be here for an hour,-" Fuck "-I might as well get to know a little more about you. You do seem to be like the strong and quiet type."

One hour, he's going to be here for one hour. I can do this. I can do this.

"Don't worry, I promise to stay within guidelines." He winked at me and I did the best I could do to suppress my blush. "So, since I am feeling hungry, what do you think I should order?"

I don't know if I want to thank fate or to curse them. "For you? If you're craving something sweet to match that personality of yours, I would choose the cheesecake. If you're feeling a little more savory today, I would go for the okonomiyaki."

He thought for a moment. "What about you? What's your favorite thing to order here?"

"My favorite thing here is the tiramisu cake. It's the perfect balance between sweet and bitter. Personally, I think that the tiramisu here is the best that I've ever tried. Definitely in the city. I think that the best drink to go with it is the matcha latte. Especially for your sweet taste. It makes the perfect match for the tiramisu." This wasn't something we had to memorize for the job, I just loved that combination.

Oikawa smiled at that. The way his lips turned up was so perfect and adorable. "Well then, Taiji, I might as well have that." Quickly, I wrote down his order in my notepad.

"I think that you made a great choice. Is there anything else that you would like?"

He was silent for a few seconds. His brow creased a little and his lips formed into a pout. Still picture perfect as ever. "Hmm... maybe when you come back, you can entertain me? I would love to see you work those muscles. You know, my own little show?" With a smirk, he winked at me. Holy fucking shit. 

"Whatever you want, I'll do for you." That is the policy anyways. "Let me go place your order and then we can get on to the fun stuff. May I?" I extended my hand to take his menu. Once he handed it to me, I went to the back and put his order up.

Now that I was out of his line of sight, I allowed myself a little break. My face was a bright shade of red and my thoughts were scattered all over my brain. Oikawa is here. He's requested me. He wants me. I have to flirt with him for an hour. One whole fucking hour. At least I'm getting paid for flirting.

"Wow Taiji, I was thinking you actually liked your customer this time but you look constipated." Looking at Yuji in the eyes, I glared at him.

"Shut up."

He chuckled. "I thought someone who would serve _the_ Oikawa Tooru would be more happy, no? Or is it something else? Plus, wouldn’t it be fun to serve someone like him?" Yuji wiggled his eyebrows up and down as he spoke. Of course, he would know who he is.

"It's- it's nothing. I just didn't expect someone like him to come to a place like this or request me. Wait, why aren't you out there?"

The other man shrugged. "Last I checked, I had about 30 minutes of a break before they come here. Now you need to get out there. What good is one of our most requested and best hosts doing here? Have fun Taiji!"

He pushed me out the door and I was quietly cursing him as I approached Oikawa's table. He looked up from his phone and gave me one of his signature smiles. The one that all the girls fall for. "For someone that's supposed to be the best host here, you sure did make me wait a while."

“My apologies. There were a few things that I had to do. Is there any way that I can make it up for you?” The gleam in his eyes brightened and a smirk tugged on his lips.

“Since you insist, come sit next to me. I would love to get to know you better.” Hold it together Hajime. 

I bit back any snarky response and pulled the chair next to him. Taking his time, he let his hand roam my body, hit touch leaving sparks across my arm.

“How did you even know I work here?” His eyes were concentrated on the muscles that were hiding under the fabric.

He gave a small hum. "The lady at the front told me you were the best host here and that you didn't have a customer till another hour or something like that. So I decided that I would rather want your company than anyone else." That makes more sense.

"So, Taiji. Or can I just call you Tai?" His voice dipped down a little and his eyes showed hunger. "Show me why you're the best host here. And if you do that right, maybe- just maybe- I'll come back after hours." The window behind him gave him a soft glow and my heart fluttered.

"Now that depends on you Oikawa. What do you want? I'm here for you and your needs. Not anyone else. Though I don't really care about the after hour work." The last part came out a little soft but I knew he heard it. My heart was racing as we stared into each other's eyes. 

Being this close allowed me to get a closer look at his eyes. The way that his eyes were shining so bright but they were so deep that you could get lost in them. His eyelashes were long and so pretty, easily catching onto the light. His lips were the perfect peach color without even trying. If you looked close enough, you could see a light dusting of freckles on this face. Don't even get me started on his hair and how sweet he smelled. I couldn't even stop the small smile that was on my face.

Carefully, as if he was savoring the moment, his hands began to roam my body in a way that I couldn’t help but sigh at. Dainty little finger grazed over the fabric and met my collar. He bit his lip and I knew what he was getting at. I unbuttoned the top two and let Oikawa touch the skin that was underneath.

“I never knew that you were so… strong and built. You have such a nice build. I should’ve asked for a private room.” His voice drifted off as he stared at my body.

His touch was light and feathery, but waiting to get a better look at the rest of me. As much as I would love for him to touch me more, guidelines say that we aren’t allowed to strip for our guests. This isn’t a strip club. We’re more refined and better than that.

“Well, I am here for you, no? Someone as beautiful as you needs someone who can satisfy you.” Gently, I tipped his face so I could look right into his eyes. Something flashed across his face and there was a soft peach blush forming. We were only centimeters apart and from here I could see every little detail on his face and how sweet he smelled.

“Y’know, being this close to you really shows how cute you are. Especially the freckles on your face,” I whispered. He bit his bottom lip and something in me surged. Hold it together, Hajime. I felt his hand squeeze my bicep a little and run down my body to my thigh.

“Do you always compliment your clients like this?” His voice was barely a whisper as he spoke, a fresh mint smell dissipating in the air.

“Well, that depends really. How much do I like them?”

Once more, a beep interrupted us. It was my communicator telling me that his order was ready. I pulled away, flustered. "I-I'll be right back. I just need to grab your order." He nodded and removed his hands so I could leave. This was too much to handle. Having someone that I actually really liked was terrifying. Sure there was the occasional client that I liked more than others, but he was different. This is different. I rebuttoned the shirt and entered the back.

Once I had grabbed the slice of tiramisu and his latte, I went back to him and gently placed his stuff on the table. I could see his eyes light up like the brightest stars in the sky when he saw me return with his food. The smile on his face was so innocent and pure. Once more, I took the seat that was next to him.

I grabbed the fork and cut a piece of the desert and held it up to him. Pausing for a second, he opened his mouth and let me feed him. Two soft pink lips wrapped around the fork and I gently pulled it back out. He chewed the piece and a large smile like the sun broke out on his face.

"Thish ish amashing!" Happily, he swallowed his food. How can someone be this cute? When he eats he's so focused and yet he's so adorable and happy. I couldn’t help but swoon over him, just a little.

"I told you that I knew you'd like it, especially since you're such a sweet tooth." I continued to feed him until he took the fork from my hand. This time, he was the one who took off a piece and held it up to me. With a pleading look from Oikawa- one that I couldn't ignore- I opened my mouth and let him feed me.

He happily smiled and took a sip from his drink. There was a little of the creme on the corner of his lips when he pulled away. Reaching over, I grabbed a tissue and wiped it up. We held our gaze for a little while and broke off, my face starting to turn a light pink.

"Thank you, Tai." His face was tinted red and he looked flustered- a look that I wanted to see on his face more. The two of us continued to feed each other until we were both full and his drink was gone. 

"You know, Oikawa, I've been wondering. What are you doing around here anyway? Don’t you have more important things to do right now?" He flinched a little but kept his posture. His eyes were cast down and full of thought and denial. I regretted asking the question but still awaited some sort of answer.

"It's fine. You don't have to answer that," I tried to cover up but he shook his head.

“Like I said earlier, school. Just trying to use as much of this time I have with my professors that I can. Especially since it isn’t volleyball season right now. Nothing much.” Something about his words threw me off. How he just discarded the question.

“Well, I still think that it’s amazing.”

"Who do you mean by that? I'm just taking school."

"That's true but, you are able to balance your work and school life when both are really busy. They both sound really demanding. I don’t know anything about astronomy or their classes but the amount of math you guys do hurts my head. Just thinking about it must really suck." Oikawa laughed and I admired how his eyes crinkled at the edges and how his laugh was such a sweet sound. Fucking pretty people.

"I never thought it was that cool, so thank you. It's been tough but I've got a good family and friends who've been helping me through. Plus, I've been seeing you more Iwa-Taiji!" He leaned against me and our faces were close together. I could feel the blush creep up and see the soft dust of pink on his face. I hate how cute he is sometimes.

"Someone like you probably has a girlfriend but I would love to have you-" The communicator on the table beeped. This time, I was telling Oikawa that his time was up and that he had to go.

He sighed a little. Slowly, he stood up. "That's me. Thanks for today Taiji. I think that I just needed someone to be with right now." Pushing his chair in, he turned to leave.

"Wait! Oikawa." Don't do it. He's busy. He doesn't need any more distractions right now. 

He turned to look at me. The way that he tilted his head to the side when he was confused was adorable. Swallowing my pride, I did my best not to force the sentence out. "My shift ends at 10 o'clock sharp."

The way he smiled warmed my heart and my cheeks lit up with flames. "Well then, Taiji. I can't wait to see you then!" He turned his back once more but hesitated to take another step and turned to face me once more.

“I actually don’t have a girlfriend. I’m more into guys anyways.” And like that, he sauntered out of the building, taking my breath with him.

What the fuck did I just do?

**~Time Skip~**

Are they even open now?

I rounded the corner and was surprised that the store was open. Deep breaths, Hajime. Slowly, I entered the store and a bell above me dinged. The man at the cashier didn't even look up from his newspaper.

“Uh, excuse me?” My hand tightened around the folded piece of paper that was given to me earlier.

The man at the cashier looked up at me and raised an eyebrow. “D’ya need something?”

“Uh, yeah.” I extended the piece of paper to him and watched as his eyes scanned over the writing. Silently, he nodded and disappeared to the back. Anxiously, I waited in front of the counter.

After a few minutes, the man reappeared carrying two large boxes. “Here ya’ go kid.”

“Uh, thank you? What’s inside?”

“See for yourself,” he replied as he held out a box cutter out to me. Hesitantly, I took it in my hand and sliced the top open to be welcomed with one of the best sights I have ever seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am having such a hard time writing a chapter and it is driving me crazy.  
> I hoped you guys enjoyed this one! Being able to write the two just flat out flirt with each other for an hour is fun. Also, Iwa Arm Supremacy.  
> Also about the fake name thing is real. Often at host clubs, the hosts or hostesses will use fake/ alternative names for secrecy purposes. There are so many rules that pertain to respecting and touching the hosts/hostesses that I hope I made it clear of what is and isn't allowed.  
> Next Chapter: I Can Never Tell the Difference Between A Cappuccino and A Latte  
> -LD


	5. I Can Never Tell the Difference Between A Cappuccino and A Latte

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coffee dates that aren't coffee dates and the best/worst flatmates one could ever have.

**Iwaizumi’s POV**

My foot anxiously tapped against the carpeted floor as my professor continued to drone on and on. They were off on a tangent that had nothing to do with the lesson. Something to do about their previous husband and politics. Notes were scattered all over my desk, but I couldn’t even focus on cleaning that up, much less their spiel.

Not for today at least.

Every few seconds, I checked the time over and over again, switching from my phone to the clock on the wall. Seconds tauntingly passed by, dragging their feet as I couldn’t wait to rush out the door. My fingers softly tapped against the table as my professor began to go on and on about their dead love life and their previous exes. Wonder why.

_ Ding Ding Ding Ding _

I ungracefully crammed my papers in my backpack as my teacher called out about the upcoming test on Thursday. The information made its way one ear out the other as I rushed to my car, fumbling a little with the keys in my hand and oh god I’m nervous.

With a thump, I landed in the driver’s seat and stared at the steering wheel. Everything seemed to fake to be real. Is this what human evolution and fate had created? Thoughts and anxieties bounced around in my head as I started the car and buckled in, typing the address into the GPS on my phone. Slowly, I pulled out of the parking lot and started the drive.

**_~Flashback~_ **

_ “Ah, you don’t need to apologize. I should be the one ap—“Iwaizumi!” _

_ A voice pulled me from my thoughts and I looked up to find Oikawa, leaning against a car, waving at me. Honestly, I was really surprised that he would even come at all. Looking at him made me remember about everything that had happened earlier today and I could feel the heat rush to my face. _

_ “See? I told you that I’d be here after hours. Though I’m sorry that I didn’t come earlier, I had some things to do today and I didn’t think they would take that long. Moving really is a process,” he said as I made my way to him. Moving? _

_ The moonlight illuminated his features as he talked about his day to me and wow does he look amazing. I hate how whenever I’m close to him my brain refuses to function. How annoying. “Yeah, I guess so. Is there a reason that you wanted to see me?” _

_ “Oh, right!” From his pocket, he produced a piece of paper on it. “This is for you. I hope it makes up for the time that we met.” _

_ —ologizing. It was just a really bad day that day and I’m sorry that you got stuck in the middle of it.” Oikawa playfully rolled his eyes and gave me a sweet smile, stepping a little closer. _

_ “Silly! I assumed that much. But still, take it. It’s all yours and you can’t take it back! No matter what.” He shoved the piece of paper at me and I reluctantly took it from him, my fingers brushing against his. I disregarded any sparks that formed from that little touch. “Also, can I see your phone?” _

_ A scowl quickly formed on my face at the request. “What do you need with my phone?” _

_ Oikawa put on an innocent face and said, “Please? I promise that it’s important.” _

_ “No. Don’t you have your own phone?” _

_ “But Iwaizumi! I need to do something really important. Plus, I can’t do it on my phone,” he complained, pouting. Cute. _

_ No. No. Not cute. “Tell me what you need with it and maybe I’ll let you use it,” I reasoned with him. _

_ “Fiiiine. It’s simple. I just want your number.” My mouth went dry and my heartbeat began to thunder in my ears. I wouldn’t be surprised if Oikawa could hear it too at this point. _

_ “Why?” _

_ “Well, I uh,” Oikawa’s eyes darted to the ground and he bit his lip. “Thought that since we keep bumping into each other so often, we might as well have each other’s numbers, right? Plus, I might need you to help me with school stuff. And I-I want to see you again.” His voice drifted off at the end and he refused to look at me. _

_ “Sure, but if you spam me, I’m blocking you.” _

_ “Aaah!! Thank you!” _

**~Present Day~**

I repositioned myself in the seat as I waited, tapping my finger against the table anxiously. What if they decided to ditch me. Would he even do that? He’s not that mean, right? If he couldn’t make it, couldn’t he just have thrown me a quick text or something. Ugh. I feel like a teen on their first date. But it’s not even a date.

Glancing at my phone, I checked the screen once more. No messages. No calls. Nothing. Not even an email. Calm down, what if he’s just running late? Or he doesn’t want to see me? To distract myself, I cycled through apps on my phone, tapping my foot on the floor. Still, worried thoughts flew about like birds being hunted by prey.

That’s it, he hates me. He doesn’t want to see me again. I knew this would happen if-

“Iwaizumi!” I looked up and my heart beat began to slow down. He quickly made his way and sat in the seat in front of me. “I am so so soo sorry for being late. I promise that I didn’t mean to. One of the models had called sick last minute and they needed someone to fill in and I said yes- but I didn’t think that they were going to take this long so I didn’t even get a chance to take my makeup off and-”

“Woah, calm down. It’s okay, alright? I actually came a little late since this place is a little far from school.” I held my breath a little hoping that he wouldn’t see past the lie.

“Really? I’m sorry for making the place so far from your school. I knew that it was far but it was the best place that was between us and I really wanted to see you again.” He looked behind him and his shoulders relaxed.

Good. “Stop apologizing, it’s not your fault. You can’t choose where you’re working and I can’t change that fact that I attend university. So stop apologizing. Now you’re making me feel bad.” Oikawa nodded but I could tell that he still doubted me a little. Gently, I tapped my foot on top of his. “Like I said, don’t worry, okay? I did already order for you, by the way.”

He sighed and gave me a soft weak smile. “Thank you. It’s just that I was worried that I was making you do too much but it looks like you’re fine. So, tell me about your day!” The chipper sound in his voice returned as he leaned forward a little.

“My day was boring.”

“Aww! You can’t just say that! I want details. I want to know the good stuff,” he whined.

I rolled my eyes at him. “There is no good stuff. I woke up, did a quick stop at the gym, ate breakfast, went to my classes, took notes, and now I’m here. See? Nothing interesting.” Across from me, Oikawa just frowned but accepted the fact that I truly am a dull person. “How about you? Tell me about your day.”

“Well…” he started, “I woke up this morning and Shimi-chan was sweet enough to bring me some breakfast since I had a pretty busy morning. So I headed straight to the gym because even though we’re not in season, doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t stay in shape…” As Oikawa told me about his very busy morning, I just sat there and listened to how he talked about everything to the little detail. Every now and then, he would look at me to make sure I was listening and that he could keep rambling on.

As he rambled on, I couldn’t help but stare. I remember that he said he didn’t have time to take the makeup off but wow. He’s beautiful. The sun shined through the window and weaved their way through his hair as he spoke. His makeup was light but did it do wonders. I knew that he was already beautiful but this is something else. The way that the products just made him sparkle, how the eyeliner looked too good on him, and the way that his lips looked so soft and kissable… god I’m falling fast and I fucking hate it. I shouldn’t even be feeling this way in the first place.

Soon enough, our food came and we settled to a nice soft conversation over food. Oddly enough, talking with him felt like I knew him since we were kids. Maybe in another universe…

“That reminds me, I finally came up with a nickname for you!” He happily exclaimed and took a sip of his cappuccino (he said that he liked them better than lattes but what’s the difference between them? They look exactly the same.)

“Fine, what is it?”

“Iwa-chan!” Oikawa happily winked at me and I felt my chest tighten.

“No.”

“B-but Iwa-chan! I worked so hard to think of a cute nickname for you.”

“No.”

Oikawa pouted as he took another sip of his drink, glaring at me over his cup. “Why not? I think that it sounds cute. Something that helps lighten your dark exterior.” I sent him a glare and he brushed it off.

“It sounds like you’re referring to a kid. I’m older than you.” In return, he just plyfully rolled his eyes with a smirk. 

“Too bad old man, I’m still calling you Iwa-chan. It’s cute and I like it. Plus,” he pulled out his phone and showed me the screen, “I already changed your contact name!” Playfully, he stuck his tongue out at me and pulled the phone back before I could grab it.

The two of us continued to talk. Thoughts of school and work and chores escaped my mind and I didn’t mind. I could really care less. With him, I felt like I didn’t have to worry about anything. After what felt like hours, a woman with dark shoulder length hair approached us.

“Excuse me, Oikawa-kun, it’s time to go. You have an appointment in 20 minutes and we need to leave now if we want to make it on time,” she said, her voice soft and gentle.

He looked at her and smiled, throwing his arms up. “Ah, Shimi-chan! You’re here. Iwa-chan, this is my manager’s assistant, Kiyoko Shimizu. She’s one of the sweetest people you’ll ever meet and she is super cool too.”

Kiyoko looked at me and gave me a soft smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Iwaizumi-kun. Oikawa-kun has told me alot about you. You seem like a wonderful person.” He talks about me?

“Uh, thanks. It’s nice to meet you too. So your manager isn’t here?” I asked.

“Yeah.” Oikawa said. “He’s busy with some company stuff so I get to spend the day with Shimi-chan!” He smiled and looked at her again. After a few seconds, Oikawa sighed and stood up. “I guess that’s my cue. Thank you for meeting me for lunch, we should do something together again.”

“Uh, yeah. We should.” I stood and watched the two leave and enter a sleek black car, Oikawa waving at me one more time before they took off.

Iwa-chan, huh?

**~Time Skip~**

“I’m home!” I yelled out and the smell of food hit me hard. Studying really does make you forget about food, huh. As I slipped my shoes off, Suga appeared and happily waved at me, holding a spatula.

“Welcome home! How was your day?” He asked, returning back to the kitchen. Sizzling sounds filled the air and I felt my stomach grumble.

“I guess it was good. School sucks though.” My backpack thudded against the floor and I collapsed onto the couch. Today wasn’t so bad, especially with Oikawa. The way that he smiles and how he’s so cute when he talks. And the nickname, Iwa-chan. I blushed a little and groaned.

From down the hall, I heard a voice call out, “Is that Iwaizumi?!” A large body plopped onto the couch next to me. “Heeeyy,” Makki said.

I ruffled his hair. “Sup. Where’s your boyfriend?”

Makki rolled his eyes and patted his hair back in place. “He’s back at his place. His class got moved to be earlier tomorrow so he wants to sleep earlier tonight,” he replied with a shrug and repositioned himself so he was facing me.

“I still don’t understand why you two aren’t living with each other yet. How long have you guys been dating, 3 years or something?”

“2 years, and we just don’t feel like we’re ready for that. You can’t hurry a relationship, Hajime. Plus, if we moved in together, neither of us would be sleeping anytime soon.” Makki winked at me and I just pushed him away with my foot. Gross.

“Speaking about relationships, wanna tell me what you’re hiding?” He wiggled his eyebrows and I just groaned. “Come on dude. For the past few days your phone has been blowing up with messages and you went to that fancy place uptown. You’re definitely hiding someone from us and I wanna know.” Forgot that we keep our locations open.

Sometimes I hate how perceptive he can be. It’s super annoying, especially at times like this. He claims that the “gods blessed me with this power so I can control the tides of life” or some shit like that. But he mainly uses it to annoy me. Apparently Suga is too pure for his powers. Bullshit.

“It’s nothing. I’m going to help set the table,” I grumbled, glancing down at my phone, and made my way to help set the table for dinner.

“Suga! You need to help me find out Hajime’s secrets. I need to know them!” He yelled across the few meters the couch was to the kitchen. Suga just laughed as he handed me some plates and chopsticks.

“Don’t worry, I will.” Shit.

Dinner was filled with great tasting food and interrogations that I did my best to brush off. I thought I had dodged them all until we were cleaning up. I carried stacked plates and bowls to the kitchen when I heard my phone ring. Oh no. Not now.

Before I could put them in the sink, I watched as Makki grabbed my phone off of the counter and answered it. Dread filled me as he held the phone up and began talking. Fucking Suga and his no phones at the table rule.

“Hello? Oh, Iwaizumi? Yeah, he’s busy right now.” That little bastard. I launched at him but Suga held me back with all of his strength as Makki disappeared to his room down the hall. As soon as I broke free, I ran to his door and tried the handle. Locked.

“Hanamaki, give me the phone now!” I yelled.

“Excuse me, but I’m trying to have a conversation. Be a dear and shut the hell up.” Anger boiled in me and I went around the apartment to look for the room keys. They were nowhere to be found. Smart asshole.

Angrily, I paced the hall back and forth as I waited for what felt like long and painful years until Makki opened his door. Immediately, I smacked him and snatched my phone back, finding that he finished the call.

“What did you do?”

“Nothing nothing nothing. I was just saying how he should drop by and meet the rest of us.” I quickly typed out a text to Oikawa apologizing for Hanamaki. He just simply replied with a happy emoticon.

“Don’t ever do something like that ever again, got it?”

Hanamaki shrugged as he made his way to the kitchen. “Alright, whatever you say lover boy.” What did he s- “But we should really go out and buy more groceries. We need enough to feed all five of us for dinner tomorrow, right?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who finally got a Beta reader? Ahoot. They don't have an AO3 account so this is the credit that they're getting!  
> Next Chapter: In Which Everything Goes Wonderfully Wrong  
> -LD


	6. In Which Everything Goes Wonderfully Wrong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rule Number 1:  
> Don't let Hanamaki Takahiro in the kitchen
> 
> Rule Number 2:  
> Embarrass Iwaizumi as much as possible in front of his "not boyfriend"

**Iwaizumi’s POV**

“Do we really need this much food?” I looked around at the kitchen as Suga and I were preparing dinner. “It looks like we can feed your whole family, extended family included.”

“Of course we do!” He chimed as he threw some diced onion into the pan. Around the kitchen area, there was a mess of chopped veggies, random bowls, used containers, just one candle?? (Idk something funny)for unknown reasons, and more. A hurricane couldn’t compare to what a mess it was—it looked like the kitchen had exploded(lol)There was some sort of system that we created in the beginning, but that was thrown out the window once the three of us began cooking.

“Yeah, Iwa, of course we do!” Hanamaki said as he sat at the counter watching us cook. Well, it was more like watching Mattsun help out with the cooking.

Carefully, I put my knife down on the cutting board. “Why aren’t you doing anything?” I asked my pinkette haired friend.

“You guys banned me from the kitchen, remember?” Memories of when he was last allowed to enter the kitchen suddenly flashed in my mind, haunting me and a shiver ran down my spine. How can someone be so destructive in the kitchen anyways?

“Right. But don’t you have anything else to do other than bother us?”

“Nope.”

“Great,” I sighed and began to cut the green onions. The sound of sizzling food filled the air with strong aromatics from sweet to savory.

After a few seconds, Hanamaki spoke up again. “Soooo? When is your boyfriend coming?”

I scowled a bit but continued to pour the chopped green onions into a bowl and handed them to Suga. “He’s  _ not _ my boyfriend, and he’s coming at 6:30.”

“Riiiiight, tell that to the next oblivious idiot.” He’ll never learn, will he? It’s only because we aren’t dating. Not that I wouldn’t date him but we’re just not dating. Sure we’ve met up a few times but that’s not dating… Definitely not dating.

_ *Knock knock knock* _

Immediately Makki sprung up from his seat by the counter. “I’ll get the door!” He shouted, running off to the door. Oh god no, why did Makki have to be the one who’s free. Distantly, I heard him open the door and heard their muffled conversation.

“Hello there, you must be Oikawa, right?”

“Yup! I take it you’re the person I was talking to last night, right? I remember the voice. Hanamaki, correct?” As soon as he started speaking, something in my chest felt a little lighter.

“That’s me! You can call me Makki though. Come inside.”

“Why thank you! It’s good to know that Iwa-chan has such nice friends.”

Behind me, I could feel Suga and Mattsun stop and look at me, stifling their laughter at the nickname, Iwa-chan. Biting my lip, I refused to look at them as I washed my hands, keeping me back turned to them. Already, heat quickly began to rise to my ears as I heard the two coming closer.

“Ah, hello everyone! Thank you so much for inviting me over.” Holding back, I merely peeked at him from the corner of my vision and as I expected, he had that sunny smile on his face. My heart skipped a beat but I refused to acknowledge it. 

“Welcome! It’s so nice to meet you. My name is Suga and over there is Mattsun,” Suga said, nudging me with his foot as I stayed with my back still turned to them. Still, I could feel Oikawa looking at me with that cute look on his face. Fuck.

“Well is that any way to greet a guest, Iwa-chan, how rude. Still, look at you. Such a gentleman that you’re helping out with the cooking!” At that, I finally looked up at him and glared. Instead, he just laughed it off. The same ringing laughter that he always had.

Next to him, Makki was stifling his laughter. “Yeah Iwa-chan, how rude of you to ignore our guest.” Oh god, how much worse can this night get?

**____**

Before we finished cooking, Suga excused me to wash up before dinner. When I exited the bathroom I was met with the sight of Oikawa and Makkit sitting on the couch laughing together as Mattsun was putting the last few dishes on the table. “There you are! Makki was telling me of that time when you had to dress up as a mermaid because you lost a bet. Y’know I would love to see you in a mermaid costume.”

“I,” Makki started as he began to pull his phone out, “ actually have the pic-”

“Don’t you dare show him that Makki,” I warned as I glared at him. In return, he just stuck his tongue out at me as Oikawa giggled, watching us.

“Oh yeah, and what are you going to do about it?” Makki teased as he continued to tap away on his phone. Quickly, I grabbed the nearest item, a small throw pillow, and chucked it right at Makki’s phone, sending it flying onto the other side of the room. As I made my way to him, Makki grabbed a laughing Oikawa by the shoulders and hid behind him.

“Ah! Oikawa! Save me from this monster.”

“Why don’t you stop hiding like a coward.” I grabbed a second pillow (thank you Suga for insisting that we need them) and prepared to beat Makki up.

Oikawa laughed and held his hands up as I stopped infront of him. “Iwa-chan, you need to be nicer! You can be such a brute- eek! He’s after me too!” Swiftly, I smacked him on the head with the pillow and continued to chuck more pillows their way. Oikawa grabbed Makki by the shoulders and looked at him in the eyes as I threw another pillow at them. “Don’t worry Makki, if we go down, we go down together!”

“You two better be behaving or else you guys aren’t getting dinner. Also, no snacks for a week Iwa. And Makki, you have to do the laundry. Please treat our guest with respect, and don’t involve him in your shenanegins.” The three of us stopped and looked at Suga who was folding up his apron with a frown

Hanamaki peeked out from behind Oikawa and said, “Oh come on Suga! Are you really gonna let Oikawa starve?”

“That’s why I said you two, idiots. Now come on, dinner is ready. After this you two have to clean up this mess.” Makki and I met eyes and sighed. Truce. We made our way to the table and sat down, Mattsun insisting that I sit next to Oikawa who was fixing his hair.

“Thank you for the food!” We all said and dug in.

Next to me, Oikawa made a happy noise as he scooped another bite into his mouth. “This is really really good!” He exclaimed as he reached for some more food.

For someone with such a slender and lean body, he does eat a lot. We all continued to eat together, talking and laughing over well made and really good food (if I may say so myself).

It was nice and for a little bit, I felt some of my worries of tonight ebb away. “So Oikawa, what have you been doing in town?” Suga asked before he took another bite of curry. Until it slowly starts to creep back in. 

Oikawa figited in his seat a little, one of his fingers slowly moving to the other wrist. “Ah,” he swallowed his food, “ Well I’m currently working on school right now. I’m studying to be an astronomer.”

“That’s really cool. I wish that I was that bold or smart to pursue something like that! Now, has Iwaizumi been treating you well? He can be a little tough but he always means well.” I glared at Suga but he ignored me. Next to me, Oikawa just smiled and laughed a little, his eyes shifting a little to me.

“Suga-” I started but Oikawa cut me off.

“Of course! He is a bit of a brute sometimes but he’s been very sweet.” His foot gently tapped mine and I plainly rolled my eyes at him.

Suga gave a teasing smile. “That’s good to hear. Iwaizumi has never been good with people.”

Immediately, I frowned at his words. “Excuse me-”

“Y’know I met him back in highschool and he was such an awkward person.” My silver haired friend continued, speaking over me. “Though you’d be surprised. He was pretty popular. All of the sports clubs tried to get him to join but he ended up choosing volleyball because of yours truly.”

At that word, Oikawa’s eyes lit up a bit. “Aww! That’s so sweet! So do all of you guys play volleyball or just these two?”

This time, Mattsun was the one who answered as Suga had a mouthful. Are they all really trying to target me? Rude. “Both Makki and I play for fun now. We used to play in highschool as well but didn’t continue after college.”

“You both graduated?” Oikawa leaned a little closer, hovering over his cleaned off plate.

Mattsun smiled and patted Makki’s shoulder. “Yeah. I do photography and Makki is a software designer. We took the easier road. These two losers are still studying,” he answered with a sly smile. Both Suga and I shook our heads. Makki and Mattsun are always trying to shove it in our faces that the two were out of schooling.

“Well it’s the medical field. What do you expect?” I bit back, placing my chopsticks down.

“True,” Mattsun replied with a shrug of his shoulders. “Still sucks for you two.” 

Makki leaned over to Mattsun and whispered something and then disappeared into the kitchen. He’s probably gonna just get some tissue or something. He’ll be fine.

“So Suga, why did you choose your major?” Oikawa asked as Suga and I began to stack all of the dirty dishes onto one pile so we could bring them to the sink. 

At the question, Suga stopped for a second, his fingers tapping away on a plate. “I really like kids and I want to help them however I can. So I decided that being a doctor could be the best way. Schooling is feeling longer than I anticipated but it’s not too bad. Iwa usually studies with me at the library every now and then, so it’s not too bad.”

Oikawa hummed with a soft smile,”that’s sweet.” I watched as his face contorted into something more fowl and it hit me too. Suga placed his plate down and we all looked at the kitchen. The pieces clicked together and I let out a groan. Oh no.

“Is that… smoke?”

Mattsun’s eyes widened as he quickly stood up, his chair screeching as he made his way to the kitchen and pulled back the partition screen. “Makki- oh god what did you do?”

The rest of us looked to the kitchen to be met with a terrifying sight. There was flour and various spices littering the floor. In the sink and creeping to the counter was a fire, already reaching the broom that was also on the ground. Right in the middle stood Makki, holding what seemed to be dessert as the oven infiltrated the room with heat.

As if on cue, the smoke detector went on and Mattsun and I began to do our best to take the fire down as Makki waddled out of the kitchen, placing the sweets on the table.

“So I went to go grab the cakes, right? But I accidentally hit my head oh the shelf and then the salt fell and spilled everywhere so I went to clean that up but forgot the close the oven and then got too close and accidentally burned my hand a little so I closed the oven but when I tried stepping away I forgot to pick up the salt bottle, fell and tipped the broom and that tipped the flour and somehow between all of that, a fire started on the counter and in the sink. But hey, the cakes are fine.”

“How the hell does that even happen?!” I yelled back as I tried to turn the faucet on, quickly pulling my hand back at the blistering heat. “Ow, shit!”

Looking around, I found that the towels had caught on fire as Mattsun was trying to stomp them out. So I did the next best thing and took my shirt off, using that to turn the faucet on. But before I could, the fire licked and began to eat away at my shirt and I dropped it in the sink. Damn, that was a good one.

“Here let me-” Makki interjected as he used a knife to turn the faucet on. Oh god what an idiot.

“Makki no!” Suga shouted as he held a small bucket of water as a mix of steam and smoke surrounded us. The fire in the sink was out so I felt around for the window and threw it open, swatting away at the gases. We all stumbled out of the kitchen as Suga began to douse the last few fires.

The five of us stood there, staring at the now smoke free kitchen. It was a mess. A water/flour paste covered the floor and there were a few scorch marks on the walls. Various items like spices, utensils, and burned towels were scattered around. 

“Well at least the cakes are safe,” Makki said.

**____**

“Aah! That was so nice. Thank you for having me over again,” Oikawa chirped with a smile as we reached the last few steps. After some cleaning, changing into a new shirt, and eating dessert (Makki having none because of the mess he made), they insisted that I was the one that walked Oikawa to his ride as they would deal with the mess (and Makki).

“Yeah, yeah. You’re welcome. Sorry for everything that happened today,” I grumbled. “I promise you that this isn’t what we planned.”

Oikawa laughed as he turned to me, my feet hitting the solid ground. “Pfft it’s fine. Much better than being alone or having to deal with another company meeting and stuff.” There was a soft tone in his voice as he talked.

“I guess…”

“And plus, I got to get a good look at your muscles,” Oikawa teased, winking at me. I smacked the back of his head and he laughed, his voice buzzing inside of me as we walked down the path that led to the front of the complex.

“Shut up. It’s not my fault the kitchen was on fire,” I stated as Oikawa’s laughing slowly died down.

He began to slow his pace and I followed in suit, keeping in step beside him. “Your friends are lively.”

“It’s a headache being around them.” My mouth turned to a frown as I realized how tired thoes words sounded. Oikawa seemed to notice and lowered his voice a little, stepping a little closer to me.

The brunet responded with, “I bet. My friends aren’t any better! I might even say that they challenge the chaos of your friends.” Our hands brushed and electricity shot up my fingers. I bit my tongue at the feeling.

“Bet that they’re better than you.”

“Hey!” Oikawa protested, a mischevious gleam in his eyes as his feet slowed to a stop, my steps stopping with his. “Either way, thanks again for tonight. It’s nice to relax like this for once.” His eyes were shifted to the side a bit.

“Yeah…” My voice trailed off because we knew what would happen next. But, why don’t I want it?

Oikawa’s voice was soft as he spoke, “I guess I should get going now.” His foot tapped the ground.

“Right, right, stay safe, okay?” Stay safe? Stay safe? Who says that? I watched as he nodded and we made our way to his car- scratch that, a limo. We made our way over to his ride and stopped a few meters from the door.

Something inside of me twisted up at the thought of him leaving. It felt dark, but tucked away in your mind like a constant reminder. This is how it is, isn’t it? This is how it was from the start. But, why does it feel so wrong?

“Alright, you too. I hope your kitchen doesn’t start burning again,” Oikawa gave me a small smile and began to walk closer to the limo. There was a strong tug on my chest and I frowned as I saw the door open. 

“Wait!” Oikawa froze and looked back at me as relief flooded in. I bit my tongue, doing me best to form words. “Uh, when are you free again? There’s this new ramen place that opened up recently and I’ve been meaning to check it out, if you want.” He tilted his head to the side and I quickly said, “But if you’re busy I understand! It is a little far from here and I bet that you have other things to do and I guess I have other things to do too and-”

A trill of laughter filled the night and he gave me a bright smile. “I would love to go, let’s talk about it more, okay?”

“Sure, sure.”

“Bye Iwa-chan!” With one more wink, he hopped into the vehicle and drove off. My eyes trailed after it until it was out of my line sight.

Oh god what did I just do?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Calling Hanamaki as a pinkette is valid fight me.  
> This is the chapter that I struggled a lot on so thanks Beta.  
> Next Chapter: My Achilles Heel


	7. My Achilles Heel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “If it isn’t a date, make it one.” (Advice I gave a friend once)

**Iwaizumi's POV**

The bright sun shone in my eyes as I squinted to look at the screen on my phone again.

Shittykawa: Almost there! 11:54AM

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, the warm brick pressing against my back as I stared at the text message. He was supposed to be here four minutes ago? What’s taking him so long?

Did he get lost again? Sure it’s a big campus but it’s not that hard to navigate. Or there could be traffic. Who knows how far away he lives. Maybe he got caught up in work? It’s expected since he’s pretty famous. The frown deepened as I stared at the dark screen of my phone.

“Iwa-chan!” My head snapped up at his voice and my heart definitely did not skip a beat.

His hair was styled in its usual perfection as he wore a light blue button up that easily hugged his body. Light brown, plaid slacks, that I totally did not want to rip off of him. White shoes, and a white coat with gold details to go over it all. Don’t even get me started on his glasses and makeup. Shit...

“You’re late,” I stated, eyeing the touch of gold dusted around his eyes. 

Oikawa smiled and rolled his eyes behind his thin glasses (did he get new ones?), “It’s called being fashionably late, Iwa-Chan. Plus, I was busy getting ready!” He did a little twirl and winked at me. “So? What do you think? Cute?”

I bit the inside of my lip and frowned. He’s a model, of course it looks good on him. Pushing my thoughts away, I shrugged and said, “You look like a pastel frat boy. Now come on, let’s get going. It’s not going to get any warmer than this. Next time, if you’re going to choose the place to meet up, be on time or text me or something.” You made me worry. “ Let’s go.”

As soon as I turned away and began to walk to my car, I felt the heat rush to my face, thoughts of Oikawa flooding my brain. God he looks so cute. This is so unfair. Something about him looking so breathtaking makes me want to punch him. Behind me, I could hear the thudding of feet as Oikawa chased after me

“Geez Iwa-chan. For someone so small, you walk fast.” I smacked the back of his head and he pouted, a playful gleam in his eyes. “And you shouldn't say that to someone who does modeling for a living. It hurts Iwa-chan.” He put his hand over his heart and I held back the urge to hit him a second time.

“You look good, happy?” In response Oikawa gasped.

“Good? Good?! Excuse me Iwa-chan but I put some work into my outfit. I even had to redo my makeup. Eyeliner is a pain to get right.” Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see him looking at me and he smirked and leaned a little closer. “Ah, but it looks like Iwa-chan dressed up as well!”

A soft blush crept onto my face as I pushed him away. I wouldn’t say that I dressed up, it’s more like yesterday Sugawara, Matsukawa, and Hanamaki dragged me out to go shopping saying “If you’re gonna go out on a date with Oikawa, you need to look nice!”

But they’re wrong since this isn’t even a date in the first place. Once we reached my car, we both buckled in (A/N: Stay safe kids) and started the drive to the ramen place. It wasn’t too far, only 15 minutes, but with Oikawa sitting next to me, it felt so much shorter.

Once we parked my car at the destination, Oikawa practically hopped out of the car and excitedly began to look at the new place in awe. “It’s so cute! Come on Iwa-chan, I’m hungry!”

Grabbing my hand, he dragged me towards the doors with just enough time to lock my car. When we entered, we were immediately seated and given menus.

“Ah this place is so cute! Don't you think so, Iwa-chan?” Oikawa asked as he flipped through the menu.

“Yeah…” I replied, looking thought the menu myself. Everything looks so good here and wow and I hungry. Nothing is too out of my price range so that’s good. Once I decided on something, I looked up at Oikawa who was still lost within the different choices. From here, all I could see was the little tuft of hair on the top of his head that sticks up and I couldn’t help but smile at that. 

“Ugh there are so many things to choose from!” Oikawa complained, setting the menu back on the table and glaring at it like it had claimed that aliens aren't real.

I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh and Oikawa just continued to pout. “How about this, why don’t you decide between two of them that you want then decide from there.”

His eyes sparkled and he smiled. “Iwa-chan is so smart!” He chimed as he began to look through the menu with more fervor. From across the table, Oikawa looked so determined to find something, I almost started to laugh. The way that his eyebrows furrowed just a little bit and how he wore a pout with the very tip of his tongue sticking out the side. Shoulders were hunched over and and he tapped the menu every now and then.

It took me three seconds to realize that he was talking to me. “W-what?” Great Hajime, smooth.

“I said should I get the shirakawa or yokohama? Both sound so good right now but I don’t know which of the two I want right now.”

“Get the shirakawa.”

“Hmmm…” He studied the menu for a little longer. “You know what? I’m going to get the yokohama!”

“Why’d you ask me anyway if you weren’t gonna choose the one I chose?!”

Oikawa laughed, his hair moving with him. “I just wanted to know what you’d choose. Iwa-chan can be such a brute.” Disproving his point, I kicked him under the table which made Oikawa laugh again. 

The young waitress came to our table and set our drinks down.

“Thank you,” I told her and her face turned a soft shade of pink.

Immediately she pulled out her pad of paper and a pen. “Can I get your orders?” The brunette lady asked as she tapped the end of the pen on the paper. Once her eyes landed on Oikawa, I could see her face go a bit more pink.

“Can I get a large yokohama? Iwa-chan?” He asked, giving a sweet smile her way.

What an idiot. “I’ll get a large kasaoka. Can you also add some tofu in it?”

“Of- of course! Is that all for you two?” She asked as she wrote down our orders.

“That will be all, thank you!” Oikawa said with a wink. Flustered, the woman hurried away and I glared at him from my seat.

Did he seriously just wink at her? Just because you can go flirt with whoever you want, it doesn’t mean that you should. What if she gives you her number and you never call? You could use be leading them on and hurting them especially since we’re-

Why am I so worked up over this?

Once he noticed my glare and the furrow in my brow, he flashed me one of his signature smiles. “What? I’m just being nice to the waitress. Plus, she was totally checking you out. Didn’t you notice?” My jaw clenched and you frown deepened into a dark scowl.

“Calm down Iwa-chan.” Beneath the table, he tapped his foot on mine and gave me a soft and sweet smile. My heart began to beat faster in my chest.

“Whatever. It’s not like it’s my business who you want to flirt with.” Something flashed across his face but he quickly pushed it away. Not long after, the waitress came back and gave us our food.

Oikawa happily pulled out his phone and began to snap a few shots of it before he properly dug into his bowl of ramen. As I was eating, I couldn’t help but look up at him and smile. It was cute how he tries to not spash any soup on him. Every now and then, he would notice me staring and wink or hold up a peace sign. What an idiot.

____

“Aahhh! That was so good, Iwa-Chan!” Oikawa said as we left the restaurant.

“Well yeah,” I grumbled, “I paid for it.”

Quickly he turned to face me and stated, “you did not. It was half and half.”

“I paired three-fourths and you paid one-fourth. That is not half and half,” I restored as Oikawa dismissively waved a hand at me.

“Same thing, same thing,” he said in a sing-song voice as we got closer to my car. “Do you have work today?” Oikawa asked, tilting his head to the side a little, his hair bouncing with him.

I pulled out my keys and unlocked the car. “Yeah. That’s why I said lunch.” We both hopped into the car and I saw Oikawa frown. “What?”

“It’s nothing…” His voice sounded a bit distant but changed when he turned back to me. “Can I see your phone real quick?”

A frown pulled at my lips. “What do you want with my phone?”

Oikawa frowned a little and pouted. The look on his face look so… sad. Like a dejected puppy or a little baby seal left to die alone. From the way that his eyes seemed to have so much dejection in them to the light shaking of his shoulders, I couldn’t say no.

Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I handed it to him. “Fine, but don’t do anything dumb.” His eyes immediately lit up and he hugged me, laughing.

“Thank you Iwa-chan.” He pressed his thumb to the home button and it unlocked. When did he even get the time to do that? I didn’t pay much attention to what he was doing as I began to start the engine.

Before we could enter he spoke up. “Were you planning on going to work today?”

I stopped and raised an eyebrow. “Of course, why?”

After staring at my phone for a few more seconds, he smiled and showed me the screen. “Not anymore!” He proudly announced. Once the words on the screen sunk in, I scowled. 

“You can’t just call off work for me! I-“

“Iwa-chan, listen. When I was texting to your boss, she told me that you honestly should be utilizing more of your breaks. It even says it riiiight here.” He pointed to a bubble of text on the screen. “So don’t worry about it! Count it as a thank you for paying for today.”

They weren’t wrong. It’s been a long time since I last called off and I have been picking up a few shifts here and there, clocking in a little earlier or staying later. A break could be good for me, I guess. 

I let out a defeated sigh and Oikawa giggled. “Fine but now what do you want to do?”

He thought for a few seconds before coming to a conclusion. “I know! Here, let me drive and-“

“Nope. You are not driving my car. You’ll probably crash it or something,” I promptly stated.

Oikawa gasped. “I would not crash your car! I’ll let you know that I am a great driver. How are you even going to know where I want to go anyway?” He crossed his arms and pouted like a little kid.

“Just put it into your phone. It can lead us in the right direction. Who knows, you might be bad at directions too.” Next to me, Oikawa just rolled his eyes but still put in the address into his phone, a smile slowly tugging at the corners of his lips. His really soft and pink lips. Wait no.

After a few minutes, Oikawa had finally got the directions started and we were off of the 25 minute drive.

“Ah it feels so good to be out, y’know,” Oikawa said as he gazed out the window, eyes admiring the passing scenery. “When I was younger, I used to leave near here. Just a few miles away from the ocean. It was nice.”

Oh. “So you grew up around here.”

He shook his head with a bittersweet smile. “Yes and no. We moved here when I was 10. I was 14 when we moved out.” Silence. “After my parents split up, my mom and I moved around a lot so I guess there isn’t really a place that I grew up. Though, we did live here the longest.”

OH.

At times like these, I never really know what to say? Should I say that I understand? But, do I really? Do I ask if he’s okay? What if he doesn’t want to talk about it. I glanced over at him as he was lost in his own mind. 

Like a switch he turned to me with a smile. “It’s all fine, Iwa-chan! Don’t worry about it! I’ve moved on and look at me now. The Great King.” He gave me a wink but I could see something else dancing behind his eyes.

What an idiot.

I reached over and grabbed his hand. “We’re almost there.”

There was a silence, a pause, an understanding. His movements felt hesitated but he laced our fingers together, holding me tightly enough to know to never let go. “Thank you, Iwa-chan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So ho! We are now unlocking more about Oikawa’s backstory!\\.
> 
> Once again, thanks to my wonderful Beta for helping me out!
> 
> Next Chapter: A Walk Down Memory Lane
> 
> Thank you for reading!
> 
> -LD


	8. A Walk Down Memory Lane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How long will it take to come to terms with how you feel?

**Iwaizumi's POV**

Tall buildings and cars passed by us as we drove on to Oikawa's surprise destination. Looking at the signs that we were passing, I was driving us closer to the coast and a more urban area. 

Beside me, he was playing a mix of J and K Pop music on and was singing along with each song. Oikawa wasn't a bad singer at all, he was pretty good. That's what made him worse. This made him even more perfect than before.

After a little while of him pointing out a few more directions to where he wanted to go, we parked in a small area that was connected to a series of various stores and shops. We both got out and Oikawa stretched, happily taking in the scenery. 

"So, Iwa-chan, what do you think? Cute, no?" 

"Yeah. It's cute." Happily, he grabbed my hand as we began walking down the path. His hand is so soft and warm. It's nice.

As he dragged me from store to store, the two of us bought a few things here and there. Being with him felt so natural and so fresh. He was so excited to see such simple things like large detailed wind chimes and oddly patterned socks (which he bought two pairs. "One for me and you!" He ended up getting me one with coffee cups on them. "It suits you because you work at a Host Club!").

I didn’t even notice how long it had been until I realized that the sun was getting ready to settle into the ocean. Time seems to fly when you’re with Oikawa. It was nice and peaceful. I actually feel like I could relax and let loose a little.

Next to me, he stopped and looked through the window at a small store. It looked like a small local macaron shop. You don't usually find stores like this in Japan. They do exist but there are only so many of them, it seemed like a miracle they were even there.

"Do you want some?" My voice broke his silence.

"Uhh n-no. It's fine. I should probably wait for dinner. Plus, I may or may not be running low on the budget I set myself. I-it's also not good for me. Not that I'm allergic! I just shouldn't have any. I need to maintain my weight anyway." His eyes looked away from mine. Good to know that he has some sort of budget. But something tugged at my brain at his reaction. There was something that was off about this.

I didn't even hesitate as I grabbed his hand and pulled him into the small pastel shop. Once he was inside, you could see the awe in his eyes. A warmth spread through my heart. how could he be so cute all the time? This amount of cuteness in one person should be illegal.

Gently, I pushed him closer to the display case. He looked back at me, his eyes a little worried.  _ Are you sure about this? Who's gonna pay? _ I raised an eyebrow at him.  _ Me. Now go get your sweets. Plus, I get good pay at my job. Don't worry about it.  _ A smirk made its way on his peach lips.  _ Of course, you get paid well at your job. Who doesn't want someone like you? _ I pursed my lips.  _ Shut the hell up. _ Oikawa laughed a little and looked over at his options once more. 

The workers who were inside talked in hushed tones. My eyes met theirs and I gave them a steely glare. They both stopped and one of them left to go to the back. Nosy people. How rude.

Oikawa made his order and I paid for the treats. Did he notice them? Once he was outside and away from the worker's eyes, he happily peeked into the box like it was a treasure that he's been after for a long time. His eyes looked back up at me for confirmation that he could have one.

A small sigh escaped my lips and I couldn't help but give him a little smile. Just a little one. 

Like it was the last thing that he was ever going to eat, he gingerly took a small bite out of the already tiny sweet. His eyes closed in ecstasy as he savored the taste of it. The way that his body and features lifted a little was adorable. He jumped up a little and I couldn't help the small laugh that left me. 

We moved to go sit at a bench that faced the beach and he downed two more. I watched him as he was so happy to just have something as small as this. Oikawa noticed me watching him and I looked away. I felt a warmth crawl up to my face and I did the best I could do to suppress the feeling.

I felt him tap my shoulder and I looked over at him. He held up a green macaron to me. "Say aaaaahhh Iwa-chan." 

Was he serious? "No."

A frown had replaced his smile. "Come on Iwa-chan! It's matcha and milk chocolate flavored. You have to eat it! Then you can tell me how good it tastes!" He continued to push the treat to me and I pushed him away.

"No. If you want to taste it, eat it yourself." It's not that I didn't want to eat it. I just liked the smile he had on his face whenever he ate a new flavor. It was adorable.

"Nuh uh. This one was for you. I got this one for you. Now you have to eat it. Plus, you didn’t have any trouble with it at the host club." There really is no arguing with him is there? Defeated, I sighed and he happily smiled once more. Opening my mouth, he placed the treat in my mouth and I bit half of it off.

My taste buds welcomed the flavor. This was really good. Oikawa was right. Not that I doubted that he was wrong. Looking at him, he had a look of accomplishment all over his face. That's one way to brag.

I reached over and grabbed the other half. "Wait no! I'm supposed to feed you that too." Even though Oikawa was a little taller than me and his arms were a little longer, I kept it out of his reach. A little aggravated, he slumped back into the bench.

In return, I held out the piece in front of his face. He looked at me, curious. "You know Oikawa, if you don't want it or for me to feed it to you, I can just eat it right now." He jumped into action and pulled at my arm. Next thing you know, he opened his mouth and let me feed him. God, he is so adorable.

“Ah, we should get closer to the ocean!” He exclaimed as I gently placed the box of macarons in one of our bags.

“Idiot, we didn’t bring anything to change into and it’s probably freezing. You’re going to get sick.” Ignoring me, Oikawa dragged me to where the sea met and sand and kicked off his shoes, socks, and coat, handing them to me. He quickly rolled up his pants and hopped into the shallow water. 

Once he made contact with the water, he let out a loud shriek and jumped away. “It’s freezing!”

I began to laugh at him and he frowned, jumping away again as the water began to lap at his ankles. “This isn’t funny, Iwa-chan! It’s cold for my feet.” After a while, he began to get used to the cold water and started to splash around like a little kid. 

“You should join me! The water feels great!”

I rolled my eyes at him and shook my head. “Didn’t you just say that the water was freezing?”

“Whatever, just join me! If we wait any longer, the sun is going to set and it’s going to be colder and then we’ll probably eat dinner and people say you don’t go to the ocean after you eat and-“

“Oh my gosh if I say yes will you shut up?” Happily, Oikawa nodded. There really is no denying him, is there?

After finding a nice and dry spot, I dropped our stuff on the beach. Once my pants were rolled up a bit, I pulled off my jacket and made my way to where Oikawa was. I stepped into the ocean and fuck it’s cold.

Oikawa laughed at my reaction and splashed some water at me. “You bastard! It’s freezing cold and now you’re splashing me with water. Why did I even agree to this,” I grumbled out as Oikawa began to laugh harder, his voice pulling at my chest? God.

“Ah! Iwa-chan that’s so mean!” Oikawa shouted, jumping away as I splashed water in return and began to laugh.

“Well that’s what you get, Shittykawa!” I wheezed out through laughter, clutching at my sides. Honey-colored water splashed on my face and I glared at him, wincing and spitting out the drops of ocean water that landed in my mouth. 

We began to chase each other around, the water jumping around our feet as we splashed one another. Next thing you know, Oikawa accidentally crashed into me and we both toppled onto the ground, the amber-colored water gently lapping at us. 

“You idiot, now we’re both wet!” Oikawa just laughed above me and unlocked something inside me as I began to laugh along. He rested his head on my shoulder and I sat there frozen, the water coming closer to us.

“It’s cold but you keep me warm.” My face turned red, matching the color of the sky as he slowly peeled himself away from me, the golden sun catching onto his long eyelashes. The two of us stayed there for a bit, looking into each other’s eyes.

He closed his eyes once more to soak up the last of the daylight. The golden tint of the sunset dawned on his face and illuminated him. It looked like the way I felt whenever he smiled at me. Warm. Happy. At peace. Oikawa opened his eyes and looked at me. Instead of teasing me, he leaned against me again as the sun dipped below the horizon.

After a bit, he pulled away and stood up. He extended a hand to me and pulled me up. Sometimes I forget how strong he is. We dust ourselves off a bit and I frown as I noted how wet my pants were. Looking over, I was surprised how dry I was compared to Oikawa. 

“Aww! Now my pants and shirt are all wet!” Oikawa complained as we made our way to our stuff.

“That’s your fault for knocking me to the ground. How are you even wetter than me and you were on top?” I asked and picked up our stuff, handing Oikawa his coat.

He began to laugh and I just looked at him, raising an eyebrow. “Well Iwa-chan, I like to think that I’m more of a power bottom rather than a top, y’know.” I smacked him on the back of his head as we made our way back to my car.

Once we arrived at my car, I began to put the things in the back and began to rummage around. I know that I have extra clothes here somewhere… You can never be too prepared for things to happen. A few minutes of rummaging around and I found two sets of extra clothes. Good.

“Here.” I tossed Oikawa a new shirt and a pair of pants to change into.

“Aww! So Iwa-Chan did have extra clothes! How sweet. I bet that you planned the whole thing.” He winked and opened the door to the backseat. 

A scowl was on my face as Oikawa giggled and closed the door behind him to change. An absolute dumbass. After a few more minutes than necessary passed, I began to knock on the window.

“Just wait! I’m not done yet!” He yelled back, his voice muffled. I ignored him and continued to knock on the door until Oikawa finally opened it and stepped out. The clothes that I gave him were a little short but hung loosely at his shoulders and hips. Still, it looked rather… cute on him.

“What a transformation,” I dryly commented on his appearance.

Oikawa playfully rolled his eyes and checked his hair in the window. “Well excuse me but I have a sense of fashion to uphold! And you didn’t even give me enough time to touch up my makeup.” He moved a tuft of hair a little to the left and I shoved him away so I could change.

Now that I was in dry clothes, I began to stuff our dirty clothes into a bag and stuff them into the trunk of my car.

“What do you think?” I looked up at Oikawa who was holding a little brush in his hand. I bit the inside of my mouth as I looked him up and down.

Somehow, he made a tee shirt and jeans look so damn good and where did he even get the belt? The shirt was tucked into the pants which were cuffed at the end. When he said touch up his makeup, he meant to touch up his makeup to the point that it looked absolutely flawless like when we first went out. His hair was pushed back a little and looked picture perfect. 

“You look like you.”

“Iwa-chan! I had to make do with your sad outfit choices!” He pouted and looked back to the mirror in his makeup pallet and gently ran a small comb through his fringe. Wait, where did he even keep them?

I grabbed the comb from his hand and closed the small box, ignoring his protests. “Stop that. You look good enough. Now let’s find something to eat, okay?”

He sighed. “Fine fine fine.” I handed his stuff back to him and he put them into a pouch on the inside of his coat. Oh, that makes more sense. “Now I know a great place with wonderful food here! Let’s go!”

With a new beat in his step, he skipped over and hopped into the drivers- wait what. Angrily, I stomped over to the closed door and knocked. It slowly rolled down and Oikawa sweetly smiled up at me. “Yes?”

“Get out.”

Oikawa giggled and closed the window. 

“Oikawa. Oikawa. Get out of there.” I tried the door handle and found that it was locked. “Oikawa, open the door. Open the fucking door.” The window opened just enough that he could clearly speak to me.

“I’ll open it once you get into the passenger's seat. So sit down and I’ll drive us!” He cheerfully countered. How can someone so beautiful be such a big brat? After a few seconds left in vain, I trudged over to the other side of the car and plopped down onto the seat.

Next to me, in my seat, Oikawa hummed in delight and I glared at him. “Come on, Iwa-chan. You need to buckle up to stay safe.”

Begrudgingly, I gave him a nasty glare and muttered, “we’re going to die either way,” as I buckled up. From the way that Oikawa rolled his eyes and began to pull out of the parking space, I knew that he heard me.

Soft music played as we made our way through the city, buildings, and stores passing us. We were silent for the ride but it was a comfortable silence. Ten minutes passed and we arrived at a small store.

“Here we are!” Oikawa said as he parked the car and began to unbuckle. 

“Where even are we?” I inquired as I followed him. He didn’t respond but grabbed my hand and dragged me inside.

There were a good amount of people here, mainly locals, that filled the small place. A few people in aprons were bustling around, creating a really nice and comforting atmosphere. The smell of the food in the air felt so soothing and I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I felt my stomach grumble.

“Tōru? Is that you?” A woman who seemed to be in her mid-forties who was holding a tray of food stopped as a large smile spread on her face. “It is you!” She passed the tray to a young woman and hugged Oikawa, squeezing him tight. 

After a few minutes, she pulled away and looked at him up and down. “Look at you! You look so grown up, my little Tōru.” Hers? Is this his… mom? Aunt? “It has been so long since I’ve last seen you! Why don’t you visit me anymore? I miss you so much and look at you. You look so skinny! Come and sit down and I promise that I’ll plump you right back up. Though, you have always been such a small boy.”

The lady’s eyes landed on me and I gave her a small bow. “Oh, and who is this? Are you a friend of Tōru’s?”

“Yes! This is Iwa-chan. Iwa-chan, this is Koga-chan! She’s a good friend of mine.” A friend, huh? So they’re not related. The lady pulled me into a bone-crushing hug and smiled as she pulled away.

“Mhmm. I watched over his boy the whole time he lived here. Such a sweetie compared to his excuse of parents. Please, sit down wherever you want. Don’t worry about ordering or paying or whatnot. I got you, boys.” She ushered us further into the restaurant and then disappeared into the back.

With an excited smile, Oikawa dragged me over to a booth tucked in the corner, and sat down. “Ah, I missed this place.” He draped himself across the table and looked up at me, eyes filled with joy.

"I guess that you've been here before?" The brunette nodded happily. There was a bittersweet look on his face. 

"Yeah. I was here when Koga-chan first opened this place. My sister and I were her very first customers,” he proudly stated. A young lady came over and placed two colorful drinks on the table and left to help another table.

Eagerly, Oikawa grabbed the drink and took a sip, humming in delight as he took another one. I pulled the other drink closer and took a sip. It’s sweet, yet tangy. Flavors exploded in my mouth in perfect harmony as I took another sip. 

“Do you like it?” Oikawa asked and I nodded. He proudly beamed as I took another sip. This is really good. “It’s good that you like it because I, Oikawa-san, made it!” He announced with a proud smile on his face.

“Wait-“

“That’s right.” Koga-San appeared with a tray with some food on and began to place them on the table. “Oikawa was playing around my kitchen one day and made this. I served this one day and created one of my most popular drinks.” She ruffled his hair against his protest and laughed as she walked away.

I watched with a smirk as Oikawa began to pat his hair down a little. After he had made himself “presentable to this world,” we said our “thank you’s” and dug in. 

The food tasted amazing. With each bite, I felt like I was back with my grandma as she made me food to eat whenever we visited her house. Warm, comforting, familiar, just like home. Across from me, Oikawa looked so excited as he began to eat the food, savoring each bite. 

By the time we cleared half of the plates off, Koga-san came back and gave us more food, and oh my gosh she has agedashi tofu. We both thanked her as she removed the empty plates from the table.

Immediately, I snatched a piece of the tofu and ate it and holy fuck that’s good. It’s perfect. Not too heavy and not too light, the texture and flavor perfectly balanced and wow this is really really good. Knowingly, I looked up and saw Oikawa who was watching me with a smile.

“What?” I asked, my mouth still a little full.

Oikawa just shook his head, his eyes happily squinting at the edges. “It’s nothing. I’m just happy you like the food. I asked Koga-chan to make some just for you since I remembered that you like it so much.” Oh. I felt my face heat up a bit as I swallowed my food.

“Th-thanks.” He nodded and began to eat again. After a few rounds of food (Koga-san said that we needed to eat more since we are young and need to build up nutrients while we can), we sat there stuffed as she said that she'd be back with dessert.

I leaned back in my seat and sighed with content. “That. Was good food. I am so full.” Across from me, Oikawa nodded. 

“I feel like I’m going to explode.” We both laughed. “I think my dietician is going to murder me for this,” Oikawa muttered and frowned. “But hey, I don’t regret a single thing.”

A small smile crossed my face. “That’s good. You should enjoy yourself like this more often.” He nodded and Koga-san returned with two slices of cheesecake. We both said thank you and dug in.

“So,” I started after swallowing, “how exactly do you know Koga-san?”

Oikawa smiled and a bittersweet look crossed over his face. “Well, when I was out exploring the neighborhood, I got lost and Koga-chan was the one to bring me back home. For the next few years, Koga-chan took care of me and my sister when my parents were gone on their business trips. Since my parents weren't there that often, she made her place as our mom and she is the best mom you could ever ask for. She's been there for me more times than I can count...” 

Reading about him, I knew that his parents were business people; I just didn't think about what that did to him. No interviews ever said anything about being this lonely.

“She was actually the one who told me to keep playing volleyball even though we moved around a lot. She taught me how to cook. She even taught me that it’s okay for me to like dressing up and stuff! Those four years with her were probably the best few years that I’ve ever had. 

“I would love to visit her more often but with my tight schedule and stuff, it gets harder to find enough free time to do that. If I could, I would definitely come here more often instead of having to mail letters and gifts to her.” He was lost in thought as his eyes stared into space.

A few minutes later, we finished our food and went to say goodbye to Koga-san, there were only a few people left and I didn’t even realize how much time had passed.

Before we left, she gave Oikawa a basket filled with milk bread and lots of hugs for the two of us. “You two better come back okay? Take care of each other!” She called out as we made our way back to my car.

“Hey, Iwa-chan?”

“Yeah?”

He stopped and looked at me, the moonlight shining brightly over the two of us. “I know that it’s getting really late, but can we go to one more place? I wanna show you something really cool.” His fingers fiddled with the handle.

It is late but… one more stop won’t hurt. “Sure. Do you wanna drive or…?” He nodded and I tossed him the keys. We climbed in and he gently placed the basket in the back. Slowly, we pulled out and made our way through the streets without any sort of navigation. It was quiet since neither of us moved to turn on any music but it was nice.

He parked the car at a small park and got out. Confused, I followed him and we began to walk around. Pulling at my hand, the two of us began to venture through the trees, a barely noticeable path as our guide.

“So where are we even going?” The question hung in the air but Oikawa didn’t answer as he continued to guide me along. After a while, we arrived at a large area of grass. It looked like a fairytale with the moonlight shining just right as the sound of the ocean crashing against rocks. From here, you could easily point out each and every star in the sky and I was left in awe.

“Beautiful, right?” Mouth hanging open, I nodded as I continued to take in the scenery. I watched as Oikawa walked further up the slope to the edge of the cliff. “Look.” He pointed down at the ocean and words were left dry as I admired the sight.

The ocean was scattered with beautiful lights. It looked like stars were tossed into the ocean and left to shine their light in the darkness. The pitch black, murky sea was illuminated by blue fragments that spread across where the sea met the sand. They were moving along with each wave, being pushed to the shore and leaving a glittering mess in its wake.

"It's beautiful, isn't?" Oikawa's voice was filled with nostalgia and wonder.

"Yeah... it- it really is," I breathed out and continued to take in the site below us.

"It's like stars. So bright and beautiful, but in the ocean. When I was little, my sister and I would always jump into the ocean at this time. It’s like you’re swimming in stars.”

Oikawa pulled me down and we sat at the edge of the cliff with our legs hanging off. He spread his arms out and you could see the pure joy in him. Then, he turned to face me. Emotions of all kinds rushed through his eyes as he looked at me. Happiness, regret, excitement, disappointment... Oikawa took a deep breath in.

He leaned his weight against me and we stayed there for a while. Next to me, I felt Oikawa shiver a little and I realized that he wasn’t wearing his coat. So I took my off and draped it over his shoulders.

“Thank you for today. It’s been a while since I’ve actually had this much fun. It feels nice to actually smile and know that I’ll be okay. It feels nice to actually let go. I like being around you because you make me feel safe and happy. It’s just been- I-“ His voice cut off and I looked down at him. Tears were lining his eyes.

Who hurt you? But more importantly, how can I help you?

____

We reached Oikawa’s rendezvous point with his driver at 1 AM.

"Hey, Iwa-chan?" He called my name as the two of us got out of the car. "Thanks again for today. It's... nice to actually be doing something like this. I really appreciate it.”

I smiled. "I should thank you for agreeing to come out here with me." Oikawa returned the smile and he leaned against me as we waited together, standing close to keep warm.

“You should really hurry up and get to a shower. You smell like the ocean and there’s still some sand in your hair.” He gasped and pulled away, trying to dust off any sand in his hair as I laughed.

There was a small smile on his lips and then he started to laugh with me. Even through the cold weather, his laugh still sounds like summertime. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahahahaha. I promise you that we will get an Oikawa POV chapter.
> 
> Next Chapter: Matters of the Heart Are Fucking Annoying for Everyone
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> -LD


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